City elections are non-partisan, yet over the last few election cycles, we have seen increasing partisan backing and support. While my history, in all likelihood, will not be complete, this is what I have witnessed.
A mailer from one party encouraging voters to elect a specific candidate, a member of their party. A mailer from a candidate listing numerous heavy hitters from one party supporting their candidacy. And now from the other side, a push from party insiders to elect a candidate of their backing.
I’m not sure when this started and I should state that there is nothing illegal going on here, but certainly, the intent of non-partisan elections is undermined when party regulars are solicited and gain a foothold in our city’s elections.
The Concord community is fortunate that over the years a city councilor’s political persuasion has had little influence on how they have approached city business. In fact, when I was a councilor, someone called me to rail against what they perceived as the extreme liberal leanings of a particular councilor. In fact, the councilor the caller was chastising for their perceived party affiliation was not only a registered Republican but leaned heavily towards the party’s conservative caucus.
When party politics are excluded we all win. In Concord, we have seen council votes (even those I disagreed with) based on information from city administrators, citizen input and the perception of what makes the most sense for our city, as viewed through the lens of the individual councilor and not as a shill for a political party.
The council and the members of the council are far from perfect. I believe we continue to see members of the council who have outside interests impacting their actions. While it can be difficult for members of the public to access information and testify, it would be truly unfortunate to have party politics working behind the scenes influencing council votes at the expense of your voices being heard.
(Allan Herschlag lives in Concord.)